Back in the Fold
by bookwormwithanattitude
Summary: Cassandra Cain's life hasn't gone so well of late. However, she finally gets some good news when Tim Drake comes to see her and tells her that Stephanie Brown has returned. But the two friends are going to have to face some old foes... 3 chaps, complete.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello! This is just something I wrote while anxiously waiting for Robin #174. It was more to help me chill out than anything, but I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter One

Cass was always prepared for anything when she answered the door to the apartment she shared with the other Outsiders

Cass was always prepared for anything when she answered the door to the apartment she shared with the other Outsiders. She was prepared for monsters, rogues, dying heroes with urgent messages, assassins and even her mother. So she was prepared for Tim Drake when she opened the door, mostly because she'd heard his approaching footsteps and figured out it was him from their rhythm long before he rang the doorbell.

She wasn't prepared for what he said though.

"No, I don't need you on a case. I just, um, dropped by to talk to you."

A few seconds passed as she stared at him, and he broke eye contact before she did. But she said, "Okay," and stepped to the side allowing him in.

She'd known Tim for a while. They'd reached a sort of friendship in Bludhaven. But that was all shattered now. She could feel his pulse quicken in fear when he got near her and she could see his body stiffen and go on the defensive whenever she made a sudden movement. He understood perfectly that she'd been on a mind control drug when she attacked him, and didn't hold it against her. He claimed nothing had changed. But his nerves betrayed him where his mind didn't. He was afraid of her now. No, not afraid. More like…what was the word…cautious. Maybe he'd never really trust her again.

"Sit," she offered the couch to him and he accepted, sitting gingerly. There was a silence as she stood before him, her arms crossed. She wondered what he wanted. He hadn't been completely lying to her when he said he dropped by to "talk" but he hadn't been completely truthful either. This wasn't a friendly visit. He had news.

"So," she mumbled, because she felt she owed it to him. "How's it…going?"

"Oh, good. Really good."

Huh. Not lying. That was strange.

"Uh…you?" Tim seemed to not be able to look directly at her, as if he thought she would be able to read him better if he made eye contact.

"Fine."

"Really? Batman treating you okay?"

This was wasting time. He didn't really want to say any of this, she could tell. But she had tried to kill him recently, so she would be patient.

"Yes."

"How's Green Arrow?"

She considered. "He talks a lot. And loudly."

Tim actually snickered at this. "Yeah. What about Grace and Thunder?"

"They don't like my scars. Like you didn't."

"Oh. Um…Ka…tana?" He was running out of members to ask about. Cass still tried to give him a real answer.

"I like her. She's, uh…focused."

"Right, right…" Tim was thinking really hard now for the members he was missing. Cass felt bad for him and supplied.

"Metamorpho. Geoforce."

"Right!" Tim brightened. "How are they?"

"Metamorpho also talks a lot. But I like him…better than Green Arrow. I don't know much about, uh, Geoforce."

"Oh. Okay." Tim looked disappointed he'd finally run out.

"How's…uh, school?" Cass said vainly.

"Oh, um, good. Crimefighting's cutting into my studies some. You know how it is."

"No."

"Oh, right," Tim flushed slightly. "Yeah, I knew that. I just…"

"Do you want a…thing to drink?" Cass cut in, her mind flashing back to that time Barbara tried to teach her how to have guests over.

"No thanks," Tim said, looking away.

"Okay." Cass uncrossed her arms. "Look, Tim. I'm sorry but…what do you want to say? Really."

Tim looked up and actually made eye contact with Cass again for a few seconds. Then his head dropped back down and he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Okay, Cassandra, could you sit down? I'm going to tell you something kind of shocking."

He was telling the truth. Cassandra sat down and leaned forward slightly. "What?"

"Okay. Stephanie isn't dead."

As he said it, she knew he wasn't lying. She would know he wasn't lying even if it weren't for her gift because Tim wasn't the kind of person who'd play a joke like this on her, even considering recent events. And Tim had cared about Stephanie, so even if this were some cruel joke, he wouldn't use her as the punchline. She knew all this and still, the first thing that came out of her mouth, the first thing she thought as she stared blankly at his furrowed face was:

"That's not funny."

"I know. That's because I'm not joking," Tim said seriously. Suddenly for the first time, a real smile flickered across his face, just for an instant. "It's her, Cass. I didn't think it was at first…but…she's not dead. Someone we both thought we'd lost has been found."

"But…how…how could?" Cassandra couldn't quite bring herself to process this.

"Apparently Dr. Thompkins faked Stephanie's death. She took her to some place where she could recover, and get better trained. She wanted her away from Bruce and protected from Black Mask. But Steph's healed up now, so she…she'll want to tell you this herself."

"Faked. How could…I was at her…funeral…" Cass stood up, hovering uncertainly. It was too good to be true. Tim might believe whoever he'd met was Stephanie but…

"Was it open casket?"

"You…were there. It wasn't…but Stephanie's…Mom?"

"She never saw the body. They told her it was too mutilated."

"What?" Cass couldn't understand the last word.

"I said they…oh. It means cut up, and, uh, bloody."

"Oh." Cass turned her back on Tim. She just couldn't allow herself to believe him. Couldn't allow herself to hope…after all this time that something would finally go right.

"Cassandra? What are you doing?"

"I think…you're being tricked, Robin," Cass said, heading for the kitchen where she had been washing the dishes a few hours ago before she'd gotten distracted by Grace and Thunder arguing. She took out the sponge and started scrubbing again. "I'm…sorry."

She heard Tim get up behind her. "You have a dishwasher."

She listened to him continue to approach. "I don't know how to use it," she replied.

"Cass," Tim put his hand on her shoulder. "Look at me."

She turned her head slightly, making eye contact with him, still scrubbing her plate from lunch today, even though it was pretty much clean.

"It's her. It's 100 percent her. The way she…walks and talks. You don't think I'd know?"

Cass heard the honesty in his voice, but kept scrubbing.

"She asked to see you, " Tim said. "Insisted. She wanted to come over here, but I figured I should break the news. She's really worried about you after…" he trailed off.

"She…she knows?" Cass said, looking at him fully this time.

"She heard. She told me I was an idiot for thinking you'd ever go evil. She said you were too freakishly dedicated to what you do for that."

For the first time in a long, long time, practically against her will, Cass felt herself smile. Imagining those words, coming out of Stephanie's mouth…it sounded right somehow. Maybe it was…she forced her smile back down. "She…said that? Really?"

"Really. You can come see for yourself. You'd be able to tell, wouldn't you?" Tim said sincerely. "Do you want to see her?"

Slowly, Cass slowed down her scrubbing. Then she dropped the dish, and it clattered loudly in the sink.

"_Yes."_

Tim smiled. It was a hesitant smile, but it was real. The wall between them wasn't down, but they'd punched through at least one brick somehow. "Okay. Get your costume on. I'll take you to her."

Cass got changed quickly, and went out to Tim's Redbird. She strapped herself in. Tim started the car and they sat for several minutes of silence as they cruised down the road. Cass could tell this was the kind of silence Barbara had once described as "awkward." It was a weird word in her opinion, but Cass supposed that's why it fit.

As usual, someone besides Cass was the one who broke it.

"Never was around when you two hung out, I guess. Steph thought…thinks you're great though. And I remember how you said you missed her…when we, uh, teamed up in Bludhaven."

"It was mostly at the, uh, Clocktower…when you weren't around. When you were, you know, mad at Batman…" Cass watched the scenery speed by out the window.

"I see," Tim said. He hesitated. "Look, Cass, I want you to know, I don't hold it against you. What happened. I know you were brainwashed. I was a little mad before, but not anymore."

Cass looked at him. "You're lying."

Tim sighed. "Well, I don't WANT to be mad at you. What happened to you was horrible, and Steph's right, I should have known…"

"You couldn't have," Cass responded.

"We all should have done more to find you and help you. And I DON'T want it to be between us, but I guess…" Tim sighed. "It hit me at a bad time. And I just felt so…I know it wasn't real anymore but…it's, I'm a martial artist, so it's hard for me not to be on the defensive all the time. Even now. Even when there's no reason for it."

"Tim," Cass cut him off. "You…well, you gave me the..uh…the…the…anti… anti….drug. You helped me. So you don't owe me anything."

"It's not about owing…"

"I'm sorry about… attacking you."

Tim sighed. "You didn't. Slade did. In the most freakish plan ever. I'm still having a hard time figuring out what his motive was. I think he's lost it completely. Anyway, what happened doesn't hurt so much anymore."

"Because…you think Stephanie is alive," Cassandra replied skeptically.

"She is, Cass," Tim pulled up to Wayne Manor. "Come see for yourself."

Cass followed Tim out of the car cautiously. It had been a while. Batman, she would guess, was off on a mission, but she was surprised when Tim opened the front door instead of Alfred answering it. Her insides felt prickly and she was on edge. Tim, however, seemed completely comfortable. They took a few steps in before she was tackled by Stephanie.

She saw Steph coming, of course. She saw each step the girl took before she threw herself at Cass in a hug that would have toppled a normal person over. She saw it like she saw every movement, in detail, seeing every bone shifting…but she couldn't believe it.

Because eons before she heard her yell "CASS!", ages before she felt the arms wrap around her shoulders, she knew that this was Stephanie Brown. Not from how she looked, or what she said, but from how her body spoke. More skilled than the last time they'd met, but still with a rough, undignified edge, everything in strong, broad, enthusiastic movements. And in every move she made, she shouted.

It was something nobody could have replicated. Not to Cass.

"Ohmigod, I missed you so much! You haven't changed at all."

"Steph…" Cass whispered, unable to raise her arms.

"Of course, dummy! What, you told her, didn't you?" Stephanie looked at Tim.

"I did. She didn't believe me," Tim grinned.

"The girl who was killed and bought back to life by Lady Shiva?" Stephanie loosened her hold on Cassandra a little. "Are you okay?"

"I…don't…" Cass ran her finger over Stephanie's cheek.

"Um, what are you doing?"

A slight bump in her jaw…

"Nerve strike," Cass whispered. "It's…really you."

"Cass," Stephanie squinted in concern, moving her hands to her friend's shoulders as Cassandra let her hands fall down. "Cass, it's okay. I know this is a shock. I'm sorry. Oh, God. You're crying. I've never seen you…"

Cassandra hadn't realized it, but when she did reach up to feel, her cheeks were wet. Stephanie led her to the couch, and Tim followed behind uncertainly.

"Thompkins faked my death, didn't Tim tell you that? I would have come sooner, but I was too injured, I mean, I could barely move! And I needed to train some, so I didn't…and there were no phones where we were and I didn't…well, Thompkins told me at first you KNEW I was alive. Totally crappy thing to do, but she says she was just protecting me, and she did sacrifice a lot…I figured it out, but by that time it had been a while, and she told me we had to wait for the right time to come back. She wanted me to be safe. And I felt so ROTTEN. After what happened. I didn't want to mess anything up. But enough was enough after a while, so I told her she had better take me back or I'd go myself! And…here I am. I'm sorry."

The words tumbled out of Steph's mouth in a hurried and rushed sort of way, a babbled stream of explanations. Her eyes pleaded with Cass.

But only one thing mattered.

"You're alive," Cass summarized.

"Never wasn't," Stephanie looked furtively at Tim, who's face had darkened slightly, as if the memories bought back by Steph's words were now hanging over him like clouds and leaving shadows. "You…do you forgive me for what…happened?"

"Are you…kidding?" Cass said loudly. Stephanie wilted slightly at the conviction. "Of course…I do!"

Stephanie tackled her friend in a hug again, and this time Cass actually received it.

"You have to tell me everything that's happened!"

Tim sidled out of the room, smiling. Cass watched him leave.

"He's changed," Stephanie said sadly.

"Do you know…?"

"That his dad died? Yeah, I guessed, if he's living with Bruce Wayne."

"Um, yeah…"

"Who I've also guessed is Batman."

"Oh!" Cassandra perked up. "Does Tim know?"

"He knows _I _know, but we haven't talked about it. I had a lot of time to think, you know. And well, I asked Leslie and eventually she confirmed it."

"Does…he know? That you know? Batman?" Cass asked stiltedly.

"No," Stephanie's mouth twisted slightly. "Tim doesn't want me to see him. He's setting me up with an apartment, too. He seems, like Leslie, to think if Bats comes near me, I'll drop dead suddenly or something."

"Are you…mad at him?" Cassandra scrutinized the look on Steph's face.

"Batman? Well, yeah, for what he did to you!" Stephanie looked at her friend in concern.

"What?" Cass was flummoxed.

"Tim told me Batman didn't even bother to go get you when he told him that…you know, when Slade drugged you! After all you've done for him he didn't even check it out? He just let you suffer?" Steph said angrily.

Of all things, Cassandra hadn't been expecting that.

"It's not like that, Steph. I did…horrible things."

"Cass," Stephanie grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her friend to face her. "It wasn't your fault. It's not like me. I screwed up. You…you were in trouble. You're the best person I know, along with Tim. He should have known something was wrong. He failed you, not the other way around."

Stephanie broke off and turned away from Cass.

Cassandra had been so thrown by the speech, it took her a second to realize her friend was crying now.

"Steph…" She wasn't sure quite what to do, like she'd been the last time she'd seen Stephanie cry…right after she'd been fired as Robin. Right before…everything else.

"'M so sorry, Cassandra. I should've been there for you…and for Tim. But I didn't know and…I screwed up. So bad." Stephanie inhaled noisily and rubbed angrily at her eyes.

"Steph…" Cass said softly as the blonde girl dried her face with the edge of her purple cloak. "You…being back? I…think it's the only good thing that's happened…to me and Tim…in a long time."

Steph gave Cass a shaky smile.

Suddenly Tim burst in. "Is everything okay?" he said in a panicked voice.

"Yeah, Boy Wonderful, everything's peachy keen," Steph grinned. "What, were you outside the door listening the whole time?"

"Um…NO," Tim said quickly.

"He's still a rotten liar. You've kept him on far too long a leash, my friend," Stephanie said to Cass.

Cassandra snickered. Tim looked shocked.

It was late at night when Cass finally left.

"So, I'll come see you at your apartment tomorrow. I want to see what crazy crib you're crashing in! And then Tim and I are going to pick out a place for me, if you wanna come. We'll be looking at some neat ones. Since he's so loaded now, I demand the best!"

"I would…love to," Cass tentatively hugged her friend. "Can't…wait. Good night. Stay safe."

"I promise my feeble heart will not give out,"Stephanie rolled her eyes.

Tim took Cassandra home, and the drive was silent again, but this time it was a comfortable, happy silence. He dropped her off in front of her apartment.

"See you," Tim said.

"Yeah," Cassandra smiled at him. She loped up the steps, taking a gold key out from a pocket in her utility belt to unlock the door.

Just as she'd suspected from the second she'd turned the key in the lock, when the door cracked open, Batman was waiting for her.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry about the format. I emailed it to myself from school, and it came out like this.

Chapter 2

Batman," Cass greeted him, closing the door behind her.

"Batgirl," he replied. "I was informing the team that

someone somehow smuggled Jardine out of the prison we

put him in. I think he may be planning something as

well. I'll try to pin down his location, and then

we'll need to go after him."

"Okay," Cass said as Batman swept past her. Just

before he reached the door., she said, "I went to see

Stephanie."

Batman stopped. Then he turned around. "Ah. And how is

she?"

"Good. You know…not dead," Cass replied. She kept her

eyes fastened on the floor. After a short strained

silence, she looked up at him. "You knew…didn't you.

That she was alive. All along."

Batman inhaled slightly. "Does Tim…?"

Cass shook her head. "He knows…but he doesn't… know."

"You mean he suspects."

"Yes," Cass looked down again. "Why?"

"Well, I wasn't sure…"

"You're always sure," Casssandra countered.

"Cassandra, please sit down," Batman said. Cass

complied reluctantly. "I suspected Leslie was lying.

So I inspected the perimeter and saw Stephanie's room.

I could see she was still unconscious, and under care.

I decided to respect Leslie's wishes."

"What?" Cass said.

"I…Leslie didn't want anyone else not cut out for the

job to get hurt and I could understand that. She was

simply trying to protect Stephanie. After Jason, I…"

"Stop comparing…Steph to Jason," Cass said sharply.

Batman looked at her in surprise. "Green Arrow…told me

about him. He and Stephanie…are nothing alike."

"…My point is…Leslie thought Stephanie would be safer

under her care. I agreed with that assessment. It had

obviously been important to Leslie if she gave up so

much for it. Black Mask was still at large in Gotham

at the time, so I didn't want to do anything to

jeopardize Spoiler's safety."

"And you thought…telling Tim and me…would do that."

"_I_, not me."

"Answer."

"...It had already been a while after her "death" when

I found out. I didn't want to drag up..."

"Tim's...dad had died. He thought everyone he

loved...was dead. You didn't think...he wanted to

know?"

Batman looked away. "Leslie clearly thought nobody

should know of Stephanie's survival. She wanted her

cut off from everybody. This wasn't about anybody

else's feelings. For once I wanted to focus on what

was best for Stephanie."

Cassandra couldn't help it. She was getting angry.

"What _you_ thought was best for her. You never

cared...what she thought was best."

"I considered what happened last time she followed

what she thought was best."

Cassandra sprang up from her seat and began to march

towards the door.

"Cassandra. I should have told you and Tim. That was a

mistake. I'm sorry."

Cass stopped. "Don't...apologize. You don't owe

me..."

"Batgirl, nobody blames you for what happened when you

were drugged by Deathstroke. You're allowed to speak

your mind without guilt.

Cass considered this. "I won't...tell Tim. You

can...do that. If you want. Steph's coming over

tomorrow. You probably shouldn't...be here then."

She waited for Batman to respond. He didn't, so she

turned the doorknob. "I'm opening the door!" She

called.

When she jerked it open Grace and Thunder had sprang

back from their eavesdropping position. Thunder

looked embarrassed. Grace didn't.

"How long did you know we were here?" Anissa asked,

flushing.

"The whole time. Didn't care."

"I've never heard you disagree with him over

anything," Grace said in an impressed sort of way.

"Who's this Stephanie?"

"You'll meet her...tomorrow. Be nice to her," Cass

told them.

"What makes you think we'd be mean? We've never been

anything BUT nice to you."

"Oh, so...uh, border...uh, line Bat...wannabe isn't

an...insult? That's...good to...know," Cass began to

walk away.

"Wow, she must really care about that friend who's not

dead anymore," she heard Thunder say. "That's the

friendliest I've ever seen her."

"What? Anissa, she just told me off!"

"Yeah, but before she wouldn't have even bothered the

respond."

"Huh. You're right. We ARE making progress."

Cass allowed herself a small smile as she entered her

room and flopped onto her bed. That night as she fell

asleep, for once she had no bad dreams.

* * *

Steph whistled loudly. "Wow! This place is NICE."

She flopped on the couch comfortably. "Tim wanted to

follow me in here, do you believe it? He won't leave

me alone for five seconds these days!"

"Well, he could have come...if he wanted," Cass said

diplomatically.

"No way," Steph said vehemently. "I wanna catch up

with you. Now, where are your fellow Outsiders?"

"Grace and Thunder...are listening outside the door.

They do that... a lot." Cass gestured behind her.

"Damn!" Grace said, popping out from behind the

doorframe. "You Bat-people. Hey there, Batgirl's

blonde friend!"

"Hey!" Stephanie reached out and shook Grace's hand.

"I'm Steph. I like your tattoo's. The one on the waist

makes it look like you're wearing a thong, though."

"So?"

Steph shook Thunder's hand. "You two are a cute

couple!"

"Whoa! Nice gay-dar you have there!" Grace said.

"Better than Batman's, anyway," Thunder muttered.

"Aw. Was he mean to you?" Steph asked.

"Her membership is in question," Grace whispered.

"Ooh, I have experience with that. Just wait until

someone else ticks him off, act reliable, and BAM,

you're in!"

"Good to know," Thunder said with amusement.

"He might randomly fire you later anyway, but you

gotta roll with the blows," Stephanie jumped up from

the couch. "We got any food, Cass? I could make

something, and we could see if we can find one of

those old silent movies you love so much on TV!"

Wow, she's like, the exact opposite of you in every

way," Grace said to Cassandra as Stephanie rushed to

the kitchen.

"Not really," Cass responded.

"It's one of those friendships where the people

balance each other out," Thunder explained to her

girlfriend. "Like you and me."

"Hey, anyone want Rice Crispie Treats? My Mom's side

of the family had an awesome recipe for homemade ones

and all the ingredients are right here!" Steph called.

"Sounds tasty!" Thunder called back.

"Yeah," Cass said as Anissa leaned to look at Steph

properly.

"She appears to be destroying the kitchen."

"I like her," Grace said.

* * *

"So, Green Arrow's on this team?" Stephanie asked. She

was splayed dramatically on the couch, watching Cass

demolish another tray of her cooking. Anissa had

fallen asleep on Grace, who was watching the credits

of 'Nosferatu' roll as if hypnotized.

"Yes. He attacked me."

"Loser. I met him once actually. He'd just come back

to life, so Batman knocked him out and did an autopsy

on him to see why. The guy was understandably upset

when he woke up," Steph grabbed the last Rice Crispy

treat from Cass's hand before she could consume it.

"You don't think Batman will do that to me, do you?"

"No," Cass assured her. "Tim would...kill him."

"So all the other Outsiders have been nice to you?"

Stephanie asked before consuming her Rice Crispy Treat

in one bite.

"Yes. Green Arrow's also...fine with me, now."

"Good, then I don't need to administer any ass

kickings," Stephanie licked her fingers thoughtfully

before saying. "So let me get my time line right here.

Tim's dad dies. Dana is hospitalized. You guys move to

Bludhaven. Dana's moved to a out of state hospital

(where she now works full time) just in time for the

Crisis. Superboy dies..."

"Yeah," Cass sighed.

"Sorry, I forgot you two had a thing once. Did Tim

ever tell you I had a poster of Superboy in my room?"

Stephanie put her arm around Cass.

Cassandra grinned. "No."

"Yeah, only cost 50 cents. Total steal. He was kinda

rude to me when I was Robin though. I think he was in

some kind of trouble."

"Probably around when...he found out he was...cloned

from...Lex Luthor," Cass said.

"Oh. Well, that would do it," Steph sighed. "I'm sorry

about Bludhaven too. Did you have any friends there?"

"Yeah," Cass said again, softly.

Stephanie shook her head. "It all sucks so much. So

many bad things happened while I was gone. Tim...I

used to be so jealous of him, horrible as that sounds.

Of his family. And now..."

"He has you back, though. You can be... each other's

family."

"Ew ew ew! Don't go any further with that metaphor!"

Steph shivered.

"What?" Cass was confused.

"Never mind," Stephanie said, looking at her watch.

"Whoa, we better get outside. Tim will be picking us

up in his magical matching supercar in a sec."

They said goodbye to Grace, who was half asleep at

this point. She grunted in response.

They stepped out onto the stoop in civilian clothes.

Cassandra felt like something was wrong. She shifted

her weight slightly, on alert. Then she saw the dart

speeding toward Stephanie.

She followed her first instinct and jumped in front of

Stephanie. She still had time to catch it, of course,

but when she grabbed it, another needle shot out,

pricking her hand and she felt drugs flowing through

her bloodstream.

"CASS!" Stephanie screamed, catching her before she

fell to the ground. Cass couldn't move at all and she

couldn't see who Stephanie was yelling at as she set

Cassandra down.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Cass heard a sound like someone blocking one of

Stephanie's kicks. She wanted to yell at Steph to run,

but she couldn't even open her mouth.

"Gkkk!" Their attacker had jabbed Steph with a nerve

strike...oh no...Cass tried to not pass out and keep

hold of the realization that had flickered on in her

mind, but Steph's unconscious form fell on her, and

Cass was dragged down, fighting, into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The first thing Cassandra heard as she woke up was Stephanie's swearing.

The first thing she felt was the complete inability to move. And that filled her with panic. Even though she'd learned to appreciate other things, movement was still the core of who Cass was. Her greatest fear had always been to have her ability to move taken away. Maybe other people could live like that- Barbara had always done a great job- but not Cass.

Whatever this drug was that had been pumped into her, it had paralyzed her. As part of her training as an assassin, she's built up an immunity to most drugs…but obviously not all of them. This one was special. She calculated it would only last another hour…but by then, it could be too late.

With a great effort, Cass opened her eyes. She was lying on a cot, and Stephanie was near her, in a hard wooden chair. She was handcuffed to the arms of it, and her legs were tied. She was not, however gagged, as evidenced by the furious stream of obscenities that was still pouring out her mouth.

"Could you get her out of here, already?" Cass heard an all too familiar voice call.

_Dad. _She felt an equal surge of relief and dread. Immense relief that she hadn't actually killed him while in her drug induced rage (something she had actually suspected upon learning that no body had ever been found) and dread that this meant bad things for Steph. She knew what Cain wanted with her, but what could her father possibly need Stephanie Brown for?

As she opened her eyes a little wider, Stephanie noticed she was awake. She made eye contact with Cass, her body language screaming, "Don't let him see you're awake. We need a surprise."

Considering at the moment Cassandra couldn't even move the muscles of her mouth enough to talk coherently, she supposed this was as goof a plan as any. She left her eyes barely open, just able to see by peeking through her eyelashes. Her father was sitting across the room, looking faintly annoyed, and conversing with somebody in the hallway, out of sight.

"Come on, Brown. Stop dawdling. She's starting to irritate me."

A man entered the room. His face was horribly scarred, one of his eyes blank and unseeing, the other a bright blue, and his longish blonde hair was gathered in a ponytail. Cassandra had never seen him before. Steph apparently had, for she gasped loudly at his appearance.

"DAD? You're ALIVE?"

The man's face relaxed into a surprisingly tender look. "Hello, Stephanie."

"What the hell are you DOING here?" Stephanie squawked. As she twisted against her restraints, Cass watched Steph's body scream a thousand different emotions. Confusion, shock, anger, fear and a relief she resented heavily all warred with each other.

"Well…I…" Brown began, but Cassandra's own father interrupted with a sigh.

"Brown, I don't have time to watch the familial drama between you and your daughter. The only reason she's even here is because you contacted me with the plan, and I sympathized with your situation. Even then, if your kid hadn't happened to be standing right next to mine when I decided to make my move, I probably wouldn't have bothered. So move on out. I want to be alone with my own daughter when she wakes up."

"Hey, I paid you-

"Chicken's feed. Out."

Arthur Brown shrugged, and moved toward Stephanie, who actually nearly tipped her chair over struggling to get away. "Not one step closer, Dad! Not. One. Step."

"Steph. Please. I've changed. When I thought you were dead, I realized-"

"Wait," Stephanie said incredulously. "Are you trying to convince me you've gone straight? By kidnapping me and my friend?

"I was the one who TOLD Batman that Leslie Thompkins was involved in your death! But later I figured out what the "World's Greatest Detective" couldn't, that there was no way that woman could have killed you! She treated BANE, for God's sake! So I kept my underworld contacts so I'd know if you returned…and then I hired Cain to save you from getting killed for REAL by Batman-"

"Ha!" Stephanie laughed hysterically. "Cut the crap, dad. I should have known. This isn't about me. You just want to piss off Batman, and once again, I'm just you tool to do it. You've had be kidnapped, threatened me with sulfuric acid and dangled me off rooftops, and NOW you decided you care? Please. And YOU," She turned her head toward Cain angrily, "I bet you think the real reason you've kidnapped Cass is because you think Batman didn't do a good job making sure she wasn't brainwashed by evil perverts? YOU were doing that to her long before Deathstroke. Both of you act like you care, but you're too twisted up inside to even know how to BEGIN. Pathetic."

Cain's eyes flashed. "Brown, get her out of her NOW!" he threatened.

"Okay, okay," Arthur took another step toward his daughter. Cass tried uselessly to move, but she could barely make her fingers twitch. All her training, and she wasn't going to be able to save her best friend from further heartache.

Stephanie looked at her sweating, struggling friend, and something hard flashed in her eyes.

Brown was inches away from his daughter when Steph jerked her right hand out of her cuffs, breaking her thumb with a loud SNAP. Steph swayed in her seat slightly, biting down on her lip so hard in bled, but she managed not to pass out. Brown stared in shock, and Cain in mild interest.

Then, completely unexpectedly (well, not to Cass, but definitely to Arthur Brown) Steph jumped out of her chair, balancing on her tied legs, and swung the piece of furniture around by her remaining attached cuff with vicious force, smashing her father into the wall behind him.

"Never…again," Stephanie said, through gritted teeth, as she kicked the arm of the chair her hand was cuffed too off the rest of it, then used her good hand to untie her feet. "I said that…I'd never…be chained up again."

Brown stumbled up and attempted to say something, but Stephanie was on him in a flash, swinging the chair arm attached to her wrist on it's chain like a club, bashing it repeatedly and relentlessly into her father's head.

"I cannot…BELIEVE…" her voice got louder with every whack of the chair arm, "I went through all that GREIF and INTROSPECTION…over YOU and you weren't even DEAD! I even cried once, dammit!"

She grabbed the chair arm and jabbed it into his stomach. Brown coughed, and attempted to take a swing at his daughter in meek retaliation, but she dodged his uppercut easily, and smashed his head into the wall with a palm strike to the chin. She held him there as he struggled uselessly. "Don't pretend to care about me. Don't even try it. Don't pretend you can make up for what you did to me and Mom with a little research and some pretty words. Don't think I need you, too. Because I don't," She punched him in the face with her good hand, a bone shattering, fight ending punch. "I never did."

She let him fall to the floor in an unconscious heap.

David Cain clapped.

"Nicely done," he said in a mildly amused voice. "Very enjoyable. You have fire in you. However, you're not very skilled."

"So they tell me," Steph said, putting her hands up, her eyes flashing in rage.

"Are you seriously going to try to fight me? You know you're nothing compared to anyone I've trained."

"I know," Steph said. "But if I get one good hit in…for what you did to Cass? It will be worth it."

Cain got up, sighing. "If you insist. I'll let you have a hit. I can't say I don't deserve it."

"STOP!" Cass yelled.

Cain whipped around, his eyes wide as he saw his daughter sitting up.

"Cassandra? You should still be asleep…"

Cass stumbled up with a great effort. "I meant it. You kill again…I kill you."

Stephanie ran over to help keep her friend steady.

"I…" Cain seemed lost for words. "I wasn't going to…"

"Go," Cass ordered.

"But…you got drugged. It could happen again," Cain said.

"She doesn't need you to take care of her," Steph snapped.

"Who will, then?" Cain said.

"We will," Cass pointed at Steph, "take care of each other."

Cain stared at his daughter. She clenched her fist, ready for a fight. But he just stood there.

"What do you want me to do?" Cain sighed.

"Go back to jail. Now." Cassandra said.

He stared.

"I'll visit you," she added.

He turned around, and walked out of the room.

"Is he really going back to jail?" Stephanie marveled.

"Yes," Cassandra said.

"Oh. Well, thanks for saving me-Whoa!" Steph cried out as Cass hugged her. "Whoa, you're hugging me. Okay, that…hurts."

Cass let go. "Hand. Fixed. Now."

"Um, my dad…?"

Cassandra grabbed for the phone as Steph nursed her hand, a pained expression on her face.

"Robin? Batgirl."

"Oh thank God!" Tim's voice piped in, full of panic. "What happened? Where are you guys?"

"Steph beat up her dad. Come pick him up."

"Her dad?"

"And Cain. But he's going back to jail…on his own."

"CAIN? What HAPPENED?"

"We handled it."

"What?"

"Come pick the Cluemaster up."

She hung up. Steph grimaced at her.

"You think we'll still be able to go apartment hunting today?"

Cass sat next to her friend, who had settled on the cot.

"I think we can take care of it."


End file.
